Summary The PACIFIC DOLPHIN, under the conduct of a British Columbia Coast Pilot and assisted by two tugs, was moving from anchorage L in Indian Arm to a terminal in Port Moody, B.C. As the vessel attempted to round Admiralty Point, the tug SEASPAN FALCON, which was on the vessel's port bow, was pushed towards the shore and grounded briefly. Shortly afterwards the PACIFIC DOLPHIN also made contact with the bottom. The pilot regained control of the PACIFIC DOLPHIN and, without further incident, berthed the vessel port side to Pacific Coast Terminal No. 2 wharf in Port Moody. The PACIFIC DOLPHIN and the SEASPAN FALCON each sustained damage to the bottom shell plating. No pollution was observed. Ce rapport est galement disponible en franais. Factual Information The PACIFIC DOLPHIN is a bulk carrier with five hatches and four deck cranes. The wheel-house, machinery and accommodations are all housed in one superstructure located at the after end of the vessel. The wheel-house has an open layout. The steering console is located amidships and the chart table behind it. To starboard of the steering console are two radars, one of which is equipped with Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA) functions. The propulsion machinery of the PACIFIC DOLPHIN consists of one reversible main engine, driving one right-handed, fixed-pitch propeller. It is fully manoeuvrable from the wheel-house by means of one lever controlling both the direction and the revolutions per minute (RPM) of the propeller. The clock, vessel log, rudder angle and RPM indicators are mounted on the bridge-front bulkhead, forward of the steering console. An additional rudder indicator is located on each bridge wing. On 12 February 1998, after a passage from Japan, the PACIFIC DOLPHIN arrived at the pilot station off Victoria, B.C. , where a pilot boarded. The vessel arrived at anchorage L in Port Moody, at 0800[2] to await a berth. The port anchor was deployed with six shackles (approx. 150 m) of chain in a position 4918'N, 12256'W, approximately three cables west-north-west of Admiralty Point where the depth of water is about 18 m. The vessel's stern was free to swing within a maximum radius of about 300 m from the anchor. On 15 February at 0545, a B.C. Coast Pilot boarded the PACIFIC DOLPHIN. Two tugs arrived at the vessel's side to assist in moving her to the Pacific Coast Terminal No. 2 , approximately three miles from anchorage L. All relevant equipment and propulsion machinery was tested by the crew and found to be in good working order. A junior deck officer and a deck-hand were in the wheel-house when the pilot arrived; approximately one minute later the master came to the wheel-house. The SEASPAN HAWK took up a position aft and the SEASPAN FALCON went on the starboard bow of the PACIFIC DOLPHIN. Upon arrival the pilot checked the gyro-repeater and found that the heading was approximately 230 and the gyro-compass appeared to have no error. Neither the master nor any other crew member noted the vessel's heading at that time. The skippers of the two assisting tugs reported that upon arrival at the vessel's side, the PACIFIC DOLPHIN was lying on a south-westerly heading. The master gave the pilot the Pilot Card with the vessel's particulars and manoeuvring characteristics. The pilot informed the master about the sequence of manoeuvres he was planning to execute; to leave the anchorage and to shift the vessel to the terminal. The pilot planned to swing the vessel to port from her heading of 230 and, as soon as the anchor was aweigh, to reach and proceed upon a new heading of 140(TG). Reportedly, the pilot received from the master all the necessary information and, while leaving the anchorage, the master and the crew effectively participated in the handling of the vessel and kept the pilot apprised. Pilot's orders and the reports from the mate on the vessel's bow were translated and relayed by the master. At 0550 the chief officer on the bow carried out the order to commence heaving the anchor. At 0608 the pilot received information from the SEASPAN FALCON that the anchor was surfacing. The pilot ordered slow ahead on the engine. The order was executed and logged in the vessel's bell-book. At the same time the pilot ordered the SEASPAN FALCON to push on the starboard bow of the PACIFIC DOLPHIN. The PACIFIC DOLPHIN was swinging to port and had reached a heading of approximately 180 when the pilot ordered the SEASPAN FALCON to stop pushing and to move to the vessel's port bow. With the PACIFIC DOLPHIN lined up on a heading of 140(TG), the pilot ordered the rudder hard-to-starboard and the tug to push on the port bow to arrest any further swing. When the SEASPAN FALCON began pushing at about 0614, the pilot called for more power from the tug . The tug's skipper responded that his vessel had grounded off Admiralty Point. The PACIFIC DOLPHIN was moving slowly ahead with Admiralty Point close on the port side. The pilot ordered the rudder hard-to-port to swing the stern away from the land. When the mid-length of the vessel was abeam of the grounded tug, the latter managed to float free and to resume pushing. At 0615, those in the wheel-house of the PACIFIC DOLPHIN felt a vibration of the hull. The pilot ordered the engine stopped and the tug to push harder. The PACIFIC DOLPHIN, carried by her momentum , continued past Admiralty Point without further noteworthy incident. After the stern cleared the danger, the pilot decided to carry on with the original plan. At 0730, the vessel berthed port side to Pacific Coast Terminal No. 2. The weather was reported as cloudy with light rain, no wind and a smooth sea. The tide was nearing its high water level (H.W. was at 0850). According to the Canadian Hydrographic Service the predicted surface current, in the vicinity of anchorage L at about the time of the occurrence, was north-easterly at one knot, and just off Admiralty Point was northerly at approximately 0.5 knot. The pilot holds an ON-1 certificate of competency and a Pilot's Licence, both issued in Canada. He had attended all the required upgrading courses: ARPA, SEN, MED, BRM and ship handling. His total sea time was approximately 35 years on various Canadian home-trade vessels. He has worked as a B.C. Coast Pilot since 1991. Diving operations and internal inspection determined that the PACIFIC DOLPHIN sustained damage to her shell plating and bilge keel on the port side between frames 73 and 130. The damage extended longitudinally for approximately 47 m. The bottoms of double-bottom ballast tanks Nos. 3 and 4, port, were indented and the associated frames, stiffeners and floors were distorted. The vessel's plating was not punctured.